Learn about the NSW education department, who we are and how we operate. Explore our people, accountabilities, jobs, opportunities and much more. In the bottom left corner: 4 triangles are joined alternating on their angled sides to form a parallelogram.] Speaker

What's the reason why this domino doesn't belong? Ah, yes, I had noticed the same thing that some of you noticed… I thought the WODB activity might generate some interesting conversations and serve as a review for our geometry unit which we were concluding. So we gave it a try!

Shape 21

What are the favorite colors of students in this class?” would produce categorical data with some variability. Oh, that's really nice. So, can I make a case now for why each one doesn't belong? Yes, we did that. Another observation I found very interesting was how students borrowed vocabulary from one setting and tried to apply (maybe misapply) it to a new setting. Have you ever heard of a scalene quadrilateral? Neither had I! Danielson writes, “I made this book to spark conversations, thinking and wonder” (p. 36). He has succeeded. I enjoyed using this book to facilitate conversations with first and fourth graders. Students were engaged and were eager to communicate their ideas and listen to others. I noticed improvement in their ability to craft mathematical arguments in support of their choices. In the end, the fourth graders composed their own set of shapes to challenge others with “which one doesn’t belong.” I also shared the book with colleagues and even brought it out at a family party. What is the average class size at this school?” would produce numerical data with some variability.

Which One Doesn't Belong? and other resources and I've always found the routine to be a good one for math learning and supporting conversations around math. Below is more text: Then, ask your family, friends or your classmates about the next diagram…see if you can work together to come up with a reason for each collection.] In the top right corner: a purple triangle and a green triangle create a square, is next to a purple triangle. Below the purple triangle is a green triangle.Give students 2 minutes to write a question of their own that could be answered using data from the class. After giving students time to discuss the questions in their groups, pause for a whole group discussion. This bold-color shapes book is, as the author had hoped, “a resource that can make a meaningful contribution to geometry instruction” (p. 16) but can also reside in an elementary school library. It allows for meaningful conversations, unanswered questions, and deep dives into the subtle and complex similarities and differences between shapes. Did you think about that too? Oh, you had a different reason for why that one. That's really cool. Keep a hold of that. You'll need it later. What about this one? They also agreed that Sarah’s reasoning was correct. One student then said, “You mean we are all correct?” The conversation had reached a turning point. As we explored more sets of figures, I didn’t hear, “I disagree” or “I think you’re wrong”. Instead, I heard “ Wow, I didn’t think of that” and “I saw something different”. In the upper right corner of the screen, a green starburst appears with text: Which one doesn’t belong?

I love the answer key in this book. The thing about this WODB sets is that they are designed so every answer could be the correct answer. So the answer key shares insights kids may notice about each shape and how they might respond. It is a great resource and a great place to understand how to create your own sets (and help kids create their own.) I plan to continue exploring this book and use it again next year, but with a few changes. I think it would be very beneficial to do this activity first, as a pre-assessment to our geometry unit. What do they already know? What misconceptions do they have? How many students are on the roster for this class?” would produce numerical data that does not vary. There is only one value in the data set, so there is no variability. Categorical data are expressed using characteristics. For example, to answer the question “What brand of phones do people use?” you would survey several people and their answers result in categorical data. OK, so what about 11 then? Well, we worked out that it's odd, but so is three and five. They're both odd. What's a reason... Aha! I hear you.Skills NSW helps post high school students find courses in vocational training across a wide variety of industries and course providers. The NSW Department of Education is committed to employing the best and brightest teachers who can teach and make a difference in NSW public schools. Which One Doesn’t Belong? has won the Mathical Book Prize, which will be presented to Christopher Danielson at the National Math Festival in Washington, DC on April 22, 2017. The Mathical Book Prize is an annual award for fiction and nonfiction books that inspire children of all ages to see math in the world around them. My classes thoroughly enjoyed this book and our conversations about shapes. It generated deep thinking and brought up a few questions that we are still wondering about. In a good way!’